Owner of Rottweiler that mauled infant to death held, pet impounded; Gujarat govt to frame policies on ‘wild dogs’

Taking cognisance of the incident, minister Rushikesh Patel said that the government is soon going to come up with a policy on domesticating “wild dogs” in the state. Action will be taken against those who keep wild animals, including wild dogs, in their homes, Patel said while responding to a question related to the incident.

Though Rottweilers don’t come under the category of wild dogs, they are banned in certain states in light of incidents involving them.

The dog’s owner, Dilip Ganpat Patel, was booked for causing death by negligence.

In January, the AMC had launched a registration drive for pet dogs under its rabies control programme. Of the 5,520 pet dogs registered by 4,848 owners, not a single Rottweiler was listed.

According to the FIR filed by one Dashrath Jasu Chauhan, around 9.30pm on May 12, he was informed by neighbours that Dilip Patel’s Rottweiler, Rocky, had attacked his 17-year-old daughter Heena and four-month-old granddaughter Rushika, the child of his elder daughter Puja.

When he reached LG Hospital, he found his granddaughter with bite marks on her head and Heena with injuries on her waist and stomach. By 10.45 pm, doctors declared Rushika dead, he stated in the FIR at at Vivekanand Nagar police station.

The family refused a post-mortem and conducted the child’s last rites, burying her along the Vatrak River in Mahemdabad, Kheda district, on Tuesday. However, after persuasion from police and relatives, Rushika’s parents consented to the post-mortem. Her body was exhumed and the procedure conducted at the Community Health Centre (CHC) in Mahemdabad.

Dilip Patel was booked under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) Sections 106(1) (causing death by negligence) and Section 291 (negligent conduct with respect to animals), said Deputy Superintendent of Police Neelam Goswami.

According to authorities, the incident occurred when Heena took Rushika to the society’s common garden area where a woman was walking the Rottweiler. Suddenly, the dog became aggressive and attacked both the infant and her aunt, they said. The infant succumbed to her injuries while Heena was admitted to the AMC-run LG Hospital.

On Tuesday, the site was inspected by the CNCD superintendent, a police inspector, and a veterinarian. At that time, neither the dog nor its owner was present at the residence. Later, police brought Dilip Patel to the police station for interrogation.

The dog was seized by staff from Memnagar police station with assistance from CNCD’s dog-catching unit and was taken to AMC’s dog shelter.

Meanwhile, minister Patel said that Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel has given instructions to have rules on domesticating such wild animals and their conditions while keeping in mind orders of the Supreme Court and the High Court in this regard.

“Today (on Wednesday), I had a word with Banchhanidhiji (Ahmedabad Municipal Commissioner Pani) and shortly, action will be taken against those having such wild animals, wild dogs, in their homes. And we are definitely framing a transparent policy in this regard in the coming days,” he added.

Under the “Rabies-Free Ahmedabad City 2030” campaign, pet registration began on January 1, 2025. Despite multiple public notices, Rocky’s owner failed to register the animal, AMC officials stated.

German Shepherd, Labrador, Golden Retriever, Shih Tzu, Pomeranian, Pug, Doberman, and Husky are among registered breeds.
The highest number of registrations has been reported in the West Zone, with 1,484 dogs registered by 1,299 owners, followed by the North-West Zone, where 1,283 dogs are registered by 1,123 owners.

(With inputs from Parimal Dabhi)